Impact Wrestling – December 28, 2019 (Best Of 2019 Part 1): A Year Worthy Of A Best Of Show

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 28, 2019
Hosts: Josh Matthews, Scott D’Amore

It’s the Best Of 2019 and that means we could be in for an interesting night. There have been some good things going on this year and hopefully we can see where things are going to be heading in the future. Impact has had a solid year and now they can showcase it a little bit. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Josh and Scott welcome us to the show, which is week #1 of 2.

From Homecoming:

Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

Falls Count Anywhere. Eddie jumps him during the entrances, as he should because he’s not the kind of guy who would wait for a bell here. Moose catches the suicide dive though and Eddie gets TOSSED into the steps. Back to back powerbombs on the floor and apron give Moose two and it’s time to load up the steps, plus a piece of barricade between the ring and the regular barricade.

Another powerbomb is countered and Eddie takes it back to the floor, this time heading into the crowd. The fans want them to come OVER HERE, though I’d settle for a camera staying on them. What looked like a beer can to Moose’s head makes him walk even more but Moose whips him into some steps to the upper deck. Eddie of course hits a dive off the balcony but would rather chop Moose than cover him.

Back to ringside with Eddie getting knocked off the apron, sending him face first into the barricade. A bunch of chairs are thrown in and Moose posts Eddie to keep him down. Eddie is busted open (as he should be) and Moose bites at the cut (as he shouldn’t be). For some reason Moose goes up, allowing Eddie to pelt a chair at his head. The chairs are piled up and a top rope superplex drops both guys onto them for the huge crash.

Rating: B-. This was pretty close to the violent fight that it should have been and hopefully it wraps up the feud once and for all. There’s no reason to keep things going and Eddie winning is a pretty definitive finish. Alisha accepting Eddie’s violence and helping with the beatdown was a nice touch, especially since there was no Raven to get involved here.

Happy Holidays from Impact Wrestling.

Some wrestlers talk about their favorite Christmas memory.

From Bound For Glory.

X-Division Title: Daga vs. Jake Crist vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Acey Romero vs. Ace Austin

Crist is defending in a ladder match and the debuting Acey weighs about 400lbs. Jake gets stared at to start until Ace and Daga superkick Romero into the corner. Tessa unloads on Crist and hits the suicide dive to the floor to take him out. She does it two more times, only to have Ace dive onto both of them. Romero dropkicks Daga, who corkscrew dives over Romero to take everyone down on the floor.

Tessa is back in with a springboard dropkick to knock Austin outside but Romero Samoan drops her off the ladder. Daga teeter totters the ladder into Romero’s face and then bridges it between the ring and the barricade. Let’s throw in a table for a bonus (and a spot on a Bingo card) but before it gets used, Romero hits a Tower of Doom onto almost everyone else.

A powerbomb sends Austin hard into the ladder and Romero teases to climb, but pulls out another one to climb two at once. Crist breaks that up with a super cutter, leaving us with Tessa and Daga for the double climb. Austin shoves both of them down but gets Death Valley Driven by Daga. That’s not it as Daga hits a running Canadian Destroyer to Crist on the bridged ladder.

Romero goes up but Tessa shoves the ladder over to DESTROY the table, with the ladder crashing over the top as well. Tessa is all alone but here’s the rest of OVE to make the save but Tessa hurricanrana Madman Fulton into the ladder. Jake is knocked through another table but Austin hits Tessa with his baton and steals the title at 17:24.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as they didn’t waste time setting up spots and flew from one thing to another. The selling wasn’t around but when you just ignore it for most of the match, it kind of starts to work in a weird way. That being said, they have to give Tessa the win at some point because you can only tease it so many times before the fans stop caring. They cared here, but I’m not sure how much longer that can happen. Romero did well here, though you can hear Fallah Bahh crying from here.

Wrestlers discuss Christmas traditions.

We’re also doing some awards this week, with Taya Valkyrie being named Knockout of the Year. Who else was it going to be? Other than maybe Tessa? Anyway, Taya and her dog are rather pleased.

Wrestlers talk about Christmas carols.

From Homecoming.

Tag Team Titles: LAX vs. Lucha Bros

LAX is defending and there’s no Konnan in sight. Fenix and Santana start things off in a feeling out process. A very fast armdrag sends Santana into the ropes for a kick to the back from Pentagon and it’s a double superkick on Santana with Fenix hitting a crazy hard suicide dive on Ortiz. Santana gets back up and sends Fenix outside for a kick to Pentagon’s head, followed by the backsplash from Ortiz.

Pentagon goes outside as well and Santana hits a top rope Asai moonsault to take him right back down. Back in and a Lionsault/legdrop combination gets two on Pentagon as they’ve certainly started fast. Fenix saves his brother from a double suplex and the champs are sat outside on the ramp. Pentagon throws a charging Fenix onto both of them before hitting his own no hands flip dive onto the pile.

Back in and a Codebreaker/top rope double stomp combination gets two on Ortiz. Santana comes back in and hits a reverse powerbomb into a top rope splash but Pentagon runs in for the crazy save with a step up Canadian Destroyer (GEEZ) to put everyone down. Ortiz and Pentagon slap it out and it’s a series of running kicks to put all four down again.

The Bros get back up first with the spike Fear Factor to Santana, though Ortiz is a bit late with the save and Santana has to kick out on his own. The Street Sweeper hits Pentagon with Fenix diving in with a dropkick for the save. A rolling cutter into a Codebreaker into a superkick finishes Fenix out of nowhere to retain the titles at 10:48.

Rating: B+. It’s the most entertaining thing on the card so far but this didn’t hit the heights they should have reached. It needed another five to ten minutes as I was expecting this to be nearly twice as long. What we got was good, but it wasn’t built up, making the match feel like it was designed to be a classic instead of just being a classic. Very good, but it could have been a lot more.

Wrestlers talk about their favorite gifts.

Willie Mack is named Star to Watch in 2020.

From Cali Combat on August 23.

Willie Mack vs. Trey Miguel

They circle each other to start and we get a handshake, resulting in Mack being pulled into a headlock. Willie reverses into a Samoan drop into a standing moonsault as the audio and video are a little out of sync. Trey blocks a running chop in the corner and hits a springboard hurricanrana to send Willie into the other corner.

Mack is right back up with a reverse Cannonball in the corner. The Stunner is blocked so Trey grabs a jumping neckbreaker for two instead. They slug it out from their knees with Mack getting the better of it, only to get caught in the corner for a Cheeky Nandos kick. Trey goes up top but dives into a Stunner for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C+. This was just a way to showcase Mack as he (mostly) hit the cool finisher for the pin. I’m not sure how far he can go, but the talent and charisma are going to be enough to drive him pretty far up the ladder. Trey held up his end here too and it was a rather nice little match.

Wrestlers on what they want for Christmas.

From Bound For Glory.

Michael Elgin vs. Naomichi Marufuji

Or Marufugi according to the name graphic. Come on with that stuff people. Neither can hit a chop to start so Marufuji misses some chops and kicks to get us to an early standoff. Elgin misses a charge in the corner and gets chopped a bit but he catches a charging Marufuji in a suplex. A missile dropkick sends Marufuji flying for two and the fans aren’t pleased with Elgin being in control. They chop it out with Marufuji knocking him to the floor and hits the big flip dive.

Back in and a running stomp to the head gives Marufuji two but he has to flip out of a German suplex attempt. Elgin sends him into the ropes and snaps off the German suplex this time, setting up a Falcon Arrow for two. They trade kicks to the head and it’s a double knockdown with Marufuji in the better shape of the two. A sunset bomb to the floor is blocked so Marufuji superkicks Elgin in the back of the head instead.

Sliced Bread on the floor gets a nine so it’s a top rope stomp to the back of the head for two (counting in wrestling is weird). There’s a dragon suplex to drop Marufuji and a discus lariat takes his head off. Splash Mountain gets two and the shock is strong. Another Sliced Bread drops Elgin again but Marufuji can’t get him up for a tiger bomb.

Instead it’s time to slug it out again with Marufuji picking up the intensity of the strikes to take over. That’s fine with Elgin, who blocks a kick and powerbombs him down for two. The buckle bomb into the Elgin Bomb gets two and Elgin is STUNNED in a great visual. The Burning Hammer finally puts Marufuji away at 18:04.

Rating: B. Yeah that’s what you should have been expecting here as they beat the fire out of each other for the better part of twenty minutes. Elgin is just such a powerhouse and I’ve liked Marufuji from the times I’ve seen him before. It isn’t the style of wrestling I like most of the time but for a one off, this was very entertaining.

The Moment of the Year is Sami Callihan winning the World Title on the AXS TV.

From Impact, October 29.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage

Cage is defending in a cage….match. Callihan (with Melissa written on his vest) kicks the cage door into his head to start but Cage is right back with a powerbomb into the cage wall. Sami finally escapes and gets inside where he locks the cage, thinking that Brian can’t climb the wall. That stupid plan falls apart in about three seconds so Callihan gets in a baseball bat shot to take over.

Cage is busted open and Callihan bites at the forehead, followed by some bat shots to the ribs. Another running bat shot just wakes Brian up and a missed charge sends Sami into the steel. Back from a break with both of them down again until they start exchanging some strikes to the face. A spit slap annoys Cage even more but Callihan drops him with a clothesline for two anyway.

The Cactus Special gets one though as Cage is livid again. A powerbomb into a buckle bomb looks to set up the Drill Claw but Sami reverses into a small package for two. Sami hits a series of hard knees and kicks to the head, setting up rolling piledrivers….for two more. Yeah we’ve reached the ridiculous point, especially if Sami wins here. Cage is back up with a discus lariat for two of his own but Callihan crotches him on top. The super Cactus Special gives Callihan the pin and the title at 14:06.

Rating: B-. They went one near fall too many here and it took me out of the match a bit, but they did a good job of making Callihan look like the monster to finally stop Cage. He seems to be Cage’s Kryptonite and that is a good role for Callihan to play. You had to give him a World Title reign at some point and they pulled the trigger at the right time. It was a good enough match too and they have had a good story to get here.

Overall Rating: B+. This is the kind of show that works like a charm most of the time and Impact had the matches this year to make it work. They’ll be doing something similar next week and it was nice to have this kind of talent getting the attention it deserves. I liked this one quite a bit and it was entertaining throughout, which is the point of a show like this.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Impact Wrestling – December 17, 2019: Street Fighting Man And Woman

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 17, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re about a month away from Hard To Kill and the top of the card is already set. I’m not sure how interested I am in Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan again but the Tag Team Title match sounds good. What matters most is that they have something to shoot for and that is more important than a lot of things. Like Acey Romero vs. Joey Ryan as Ryan’s Wrestler’s Court punishment. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Jordynne Grace vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood still works here? She takes Grace down with a headscissors and then switches to a quickly broken armbar. They trade some standing switches until Dashwood’s crossbody is caught and muscled up into a suplex for two. Grace is sent to the apron and Dashwood gets in a kick to the face, plus a neckbreaker over the ropes for two.

The Tarantula goes on, setting up a reverse DDT for two more on Grace. That’s enough for Grace who busts the heck out of Dashwood’s spine for her own two, plus two more just in case. Dashwood fights out of the Grace Driver so Grace blasts her with a clothesline. Somehow Dashwood is right back up with the Taste of Tenille and a butterfly suplex for two more. Dashwood tries la majistral but Grace drops down onto her for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C. They did some back and forth stuff here but I’m not sure how much Grace should be going up before the big title shot. Then again I’m not sure how much ODB needs to be in that title match and she’s there anyway. Dashwood has just stopped mattering over the last few months and I don’t see that getting much better.

Post match they shake hands but here’s Taya Valkyrie to jump Grace. Dashwood makes the save though and Taya is sent bailing.

Moose runs into Rhino and tells him that he could have given him some pointers against Rob Van Dam. Rhino decks him, likely setting up a match later tonight.

The North comes up to Willie Mack and actually doesn’t want a fight. Since Mack is hurt, they should let Rich Swann go off and be a singles star. Swann comes up to say tell them to get out of here before a fight breaks out.

The announcers preview the card.

TJP vs. Daga

Fallah Bahh is here with TJP and we get an early handshake. They go to the mat for an early standoff until it’s back to the mat for some grappling. TJP dropkicks him into the corner and we stop for some staring. Back up and Daga armdrags him into an armbar and then does it again for good measure. TJP is right back with his headscissors to spin Daga over but Daga spins out of another attempt and pulls TJP down by the arm.

They trade some flips to maintain arm control, trade rollup for two each, and miss stereo dropkicks as we take a break. Back with Daga hitting some shots in the corner but getting sent out to the floor in a hurry. The springboard slingshot dropkick rocks Daga again and the slingshot hilo gets two back inside. Daga’s headscissors sends TJP into the corner for a change and there’s a forearm to the back.

Daga runs down the ramp for a sunset flip into a double stomp to the chest for two and that means frustration time. TJP spins out of a tiger bomb but his bridging rollup is countered into a superkick. That’s fine with TJP, who hits a jumping spin kick to the face for another double knockdown.

They slug it out until TJP snaps off a hurricanrana into a cross armbreaker but Daga stacks him up for two. A double clothesline puts them both down again and the real frustration is setting in. Daga knocks him down and goes up, earning himself a superplex back down into the Detonation Kick. The kneebar sends Daga to the rope so TJP switches to an STF to make Daga tap at 16:39.

Rating: B-. This got some time and was quite the technical display. TJP can go with anyone and has put in one nice performance after another. I could go for either of them getting a nice push but for some reason I don’t exactly buy that as being the most likely case. At least we got a good match out of the whole thing though.

Post match the Desi Hit Squad runs in to beat down TJP and Bahh. Daga makes the save but Shera comes in to plant him with a chokeslam. Good thing we got to push the important guys.

Brian Cage runs into the very combined forces of Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes. Rob isn’t worried about their match at Hard To Kill because he knows how to counter his own moves.

Here are Van Dam and Forbes for a chat. Katie introduces him and more kissing ensues. Rob isn’t sure why he’s getting so much attention as of late but he’ll take it while he gets it. After more Katie time, Rob says he’s taking a stand against everyone trying to steal all of his awesome moves. Cage is the biggest Van Dam mark of them all, so here he is in person. The fight is on with Cage getting the better of things until Katie gets in a low blow. Rob plants him with a middle rope Fameasser but won’t give the fans the Van Terminator. Instead he dropkicks the chair into Cage’s head and has some more of Katie.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Generation Me from Final Resolution 2010.

Susie runs into Rosemary, who warns him about James Mitchell, who comes in and gets Susie away from her. Havok comes in to choke Rosemary. The lights go all colorful and Rosemary disappears as Susie seems…..pleased?

Taya interrupts Madison Rayne and Kiera Hogan, who don’t seem pleased. They’re not friends because Taya is rather rude but she needs help. She asks them to help a Knockout in need but they don’t buy it. Maybe if they get a title shot after Hard To Kill? Taya thinks about it.

Ethan Page vs. Rich Swann

Page headlocks him to start so Swann shoves his way out and hits a good dropkick. Swann slugs away but Josh Alexander grabs his foot, allowing Page to get in a thumb to the eye. Page slugs away until Swann grabs a small package for two. That means a change of pace with some stomping in the corner instead of slugging, because Page is that versatile. A kick to the face keeps Swann down but he rolls forward into a clothesline to Page.

Swann gets two off a cartwheel splash but Alexander’s distraction breaks up the 450. Page’s Neutralizer gets two, only to have Swann come right back with some kicks to the head for his own two. Swann has to bail out of the 450 so Page hits a middle rope slam. The Swanton gives Page two but Swann is back with a kick to the face. He dives onto Alexander though, leaving Page to go after Mack. You don’t do that to Willie though and he chases Page back in and decks him for the DQ at 10:02.

Rating: C+. This was all about the mind games at the end and there is nothing wrong with that. Swann and Mack feel like almost guaranteed title winners so going with some doubt is a good idea. I could go for them winning the titles but I could also go with them fighting each other for months in a great feud.

Post match Swann isn’t happy with Willie.

Rhino and Moose get in another fight in the back.

Joey Ryan vs. Acey Romero

Johnny Swinger is on commentary and Joey starts fast with the baby oil down the trunks. Acey won’t touch it but does hurt his knee on an atomic drop. As the announcers talk about Joey killing territories, Acey crushes him with a crossbody and gets two off a spinebuster. They hit heads and Acey falls face first onto Ryan’s crotch, which brings Ryan back to life.

The lollipop goes into the referee’s mouth by mistake (I’m surprised it doesn’t give him superpowers) and it’s time for Acey to grab it. Swinger makes the save and has Acey grab his fanny pack, which has no such powers. Joey is right back up with the Flip and Sweet Tooth Music finishes Acey at 3:54.

Rating: F. Something about me not having fun or not getting wrestling. I think I’m to the point where I don’t need to rant about Joey anymore. He really does seem like a nice guy (including being nice to me on Twitter before) but this isn’t for me and that’s ok. I could go with not seeing it but I know there’s an audience for it. I’m just not part of it.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t worried about Sami Callihan exposing her. She’s going to take the title from the most vile champion the company has ever seen.

Michael Elgin takes Eddie Edwards’ trophy.

Ace Austin vs. Petey Williams

Non-title. Petey elbows him in the face to start and ducks a springboard kick to the face. A headscissors sends Ace into the corner, setting up the slingshot Codebreaker. The Sharpshooter attempt doesn’t work so Petey hits the slingshot hurricanrana to the floor. Ace is right back with a superkick from the apron and we take a break.

Back with Ace hitting a spinning kick to the head for two and then stopping to stare at the crowd. Ace can’t get the paper cut with the card so Petey snaps off a release German suplex. There’s the Russian legsweep but Ace’s Bang-a-Rama gets two. The Canadian Destroyer is blocked but so is Ace’s superplex. Petey powerbombs him instead but the Canadian Destroyer still can’t connect. Ace is right back with the Fold for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C. That was one of Petey’s better matches in awhile and it was a good bit better than I was expecting. Ace winning wasn’t in doubt but they were both working and got a nice match out of it. I’m liking the Fold more each time I see it and while Ace’s character has changed a lot, I still like what I see out of him.

Post match, Ace dedicates the win to Trey Miguel’s mom. He even blows her a kiss.

Post break Trey Miguel gets in Ace’s face and one more line about Trey’s mom starts the fight. Reno Scum breaks it up.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Here’s Sami Callihan to “expose” Tessa. She’s a fake and a phony, just like everyone sitting here today. People are saying this is something about gender but Sami should be looked at as a hero for spitting in her face, just like he’d do to any man in the back. The fans cheer for Tessa but they have more in common with him. Tessa is the daughter of Tully Blanchard and was raised by Magnum TA.

Sami earned everything he has and became the face of the company by winning the World Title. His dad never got him a tryout so here’s a livid Tessa. Mad Man Fulton jumps her from behind though, meaning the beatdown is on. Ken Shamrock makes the save but Fulton goes after his bad ribs. Sami and Tessa fight to the back where they brawl in front of some fans. Sami punches one of them by mistake before sending Tessa face first into the production truck.

Tessa shrugs that off and they brawl on the sidewalk. Another ram into the truck rocks Tessa and Sami chokes her with some caution tape. Tessa gets in another shot though and they brawl down the sidewalk with Tessa diving out of the back of a truck. Sami chokes her down and Tessa goes after him until referees FINALLY break it up to end the show. This didn’t do much to make Tessa seem like she could hang in a fight with Sami, but the smoke and mirrors will help a lot at the pay per view.

Overall Rating: C+. They were all working hard here and we got a nice show as a result. As usual, it helps a lot to have a goal to move towards and they have that here. It makes things that much easier and you could see the show improving now that a lot of the card is either set or ready to be set. I’m digging most of the show, though there are a few elements I’d like dropped for good. That isn’t going to happen, but you can only hope. Anyway, good show this week and a positive sign as we head towards the pay per view.

Results

Jordynne Grace b. Tenille Dashwood – Rollup

TJP b. Daga – STF

Ethan Page b. Rich Swann via DQ when Willie Mack interfered

Joey Ryan b. Acey Romeo – Sweet Tooth Music

Ace Austin b. Petey Williams – Fold

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling – December 10, 2019: Something About This Week’s Show

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 10, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We are about a month away from Hard To Kill and Tessa Blanchard is still #1 contender. That being said, tonight is about ECW, with an “Old School” rules match between Rob Van Dam and Rhino. I’m not sure how interesting that is going to be but it should make the live crowd happy. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Rhino vs. Rob Van Dam

Old School rules with Tommy Dreamer as guest referee and Katie Forbes gyrates a lot during Rob’s entrance. Rhino shoulders him to the floor to start and Rob gets dropped onto the apron for his troubles. A chair to the ribs keeps Rob down but he’s fine enough to pop back up with the Cannonball off the apron.

Back in and Rob’s spinning legdrop gets two so Rhino starts choking with a mop. Rhino sends him face first into an open chair but gets crotched against the chair to stop him cold. Rob teases Rolling Thunder but isn’t giving the fans what they want. Instead he tries the monkey flip onto the chair but gets powerbombed onto it for two instead.

Rob kicks him down instead and the apron legdrop connects. A trashcan and a table are brought in with the can and a chair being wedged into corners. Some kicks set up the missed split legged moonsault and Rhino Gores him through the table. Katie pulls the referee though and Rhino goes head first into the trashcan in the corner. The Five Star finishes Rhino at 11:01.

Rating: C-. They hit each other with weapons and they looked old but they didn’t embarrass themselves, which is more than some people would have done in a match like this. Rob is actually working for me as a heel and Rhino is Rhino, but Dreamer could have been any given human here. Assuming there’s no post match deal, this was a rather unnecessary spot.

Post match Katie dances and Rob kicks Dreamer low.

Sami Callihan announces the Crists for the Tag Team Open. As for Tessa Blanchard, she can fight Mad Man Fulton tonight. Sami can deal with Ken Shamrock himself because Shamrock is old.

ODB is now in the Knockouts Title match at Hard To Kill.

Moose vs. Acey Romero

Moose’s running shoulders bounce off the big man, who drops Moose with a single shoulder of his own. Romero throws him around like he’s not even there and it’s time for a breather on the floor. A dive from Romero sends Moose into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Moose hammering away at the head but Romero scores with some chops. A big crossbody crushes Moose and a spinebuster gets two more.

Moose hits a running dropkick in the corner though and for some reason Romero tries to go to the middle rope. That earns him the swinging chokebomb for two and they chop it out again. The discus lariat is cut off and Romero nails a Pounce to put them both down. A clothesline gives Romero two more but he misses a charge into the corner, setting up No Jackhammer Needed to give Moose the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C. Romero is a great example of someone who shouldn’t be able to do some of these things and then just does them. He’s still relatively limited in what he can do in the ring but he knows how to move his weight around and that can make for some entertaining matches. Not great, but a lot of fun with Moose having to break a sweat to get the win.

James Mitchell shows Susie the building but she wanders off and touches a noose, which gives her flashbacks to Jessika Havok hanging her. Mitchell warns her about Rosemary and makes it clear that she can only trust him.

Michael Elgin is tired of smashing through roadblocks and wants his match with Eddie Edwards to be for Eddie’s title shot.

Raj Singh vs. Fallah Bahh

Oh boy. Bahh runs over both Singh and Rohit Raju at the same time before hitting a running splash to crush Singh. A Gama Singh distraction lets Raj hit a jumping Downward Spiral for two and a running backsplash is good for the same. Raj grabs a Hennig necksnap as he is going above his pay grade. For some reason he tries to headbutt Bahh and staggers away in pain so Bahh chops him down. The big crossbody gets two on Raj (not as impressive after we saw Romero do the same big man crossbody in the previous match) and Bahh sends him into the interfering Raju. The Banzai Drop gives Bahh the pin at 4:54.

Rating: D+. Yeah this didn’t work and I don’t know why it was supposed to. The Hit Squad stopped meaning anything a long time ago and while Bahh has improved by leaps and bounds, he still isn’t going to be able to carry something like this. Not a terrible match, but give me something else to get my interest up.

Post match the beatdown is on until TJP makes the save, likely setting up a tag match.

Joey Ryan is told to go see Impact Management, which happens to be in the men’s room. He goes in and finds…..Tommy Dreamer, who sentences him to WRESTLER’S COURT. Ryan is charged with breaking kayfabe, exposing the business and killing towns. Johnny Swinger, the plaintiff, also accuses him of stealing rizzats and wants compensation of two pay envelopes and a handful of pizzills.

The sound guys and camera crew come out of the stalls as Joey points out how ridiculous this whole thing is. Ryan asks about an attorney but since Joseph Park is dead, that’s a no. They move to a different room because of the AXS money and it’s time for the first witness: D’Lo Brown, which also gives us the fact that D’Lo is short for Dee Lorean. Brown was sworn in earlier on a PWI 500 and goes on a rant about how this couldn’t be done in a Fortune 500 company.

We get rapid fire testimonies from Madison Rayne, Brutal Bob Evans (He works here?), Kiera Hogan (“It’s that mustache!”) and Gama Singh, as someone in a weird shirt is dragged out. Joey’s closing statement talks about how old guys with tennis rackets have already gone off on him and he knows wrestling should be fun. Maybe the good old days weren’t so good. Swinger: “BULLS***!” Dreamer: “GUILTY!” Ryan is sentenced to….face Acey Romero next week. Joey: “I don’t even know why I signed with this company.”

I’m sure this was a lot of fun to shoot and the people had a blast putting it together. I’m also not sure why it aired but I guess I’m not young enough to get why Tommy Dreamer and Joey Ryan taking shots at WWE and Jim Cornette and having cameos from career midcarders is funny. I chuckled a few times, but this is the kind of thing that was designed to entertain the locker room, not the fans.

Tag Team Open: Rascalz vs. OVE vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Reno Scum

Tornado rules, one fall to a finish, and the winners get the title shot at Hard To Kill. It’s a big brawl to start with the Rascalz (Wentz and Dez here) hitting dives but Mack and Swann clear the ring. A bulldog puts Luster down and the assisted middle rope flip neckbreaker gets two on Thornstowe.

Jake comes back in so Mack can hit the standing moonsault for two more and it’s Dave being backdropped over the top onto various people. Mack comes up with a bad knee and things come to a halt as referees and trainers come out to check on him. Back from a break with Rich getting double teamed by Scum but managing to hit a double Lethal Injection on them anyway.

A kick to the face cuts Swann off and a spike Tombstone gets two as Wentz makes the save. Scum is back in to take over with a German suplex into a double stomp for two on Dave, who is tied into the Tree of Woe. A running Razor’s Edge sends Swann flying into Dave but it’s time for the Rascalz to hit rapid fire kicks on Luster. The Crists come back in and shrug off Swann’s kicks. The All Seeing Eye is loaded up but Swann reverses into a victory roll for the fast pin at 13:43.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that you would expect from something like this and it was rather entertaining. I could have gone with something a little more structured but that’s how tag team wrestling tends to go these days. Swann and Mack were the only choice to go forward here though as they have been chasing the titles for months now and need to win the things. The other teams looked good, but this was how it needed to go.

The North is watching from the balcony and doesn’t seem worried.

Taya Valkyrie thinks everyone is against her, which is the only reason the title match is now a triple threat. But it doesn’t matter because she’s Taya.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Gail Kim vs. Brooke vs. ODB from Bound For Glory 2013.

Brian Cage talks about having an up and down year but he’ll be waiting on whoever comes out of Hard To Kill as World Champion. Cage is ready to fight anyone around here but Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes fall onto the couch with Katie all over him. Rob realizes the cameras are on and says that Cage stole a bunch of his moves. I think you know where this is going.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Mad Man Fulton

We get the ridiculous staredown with Tessa’s forearm having no effect. Fulton takes her into the corner and rams her head into the buckle over and over. He pulls her up and face first into the bottom of the middle buckle but Tessa slugs away anyway. An attempt at a slingshot powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana to send Fulton outside. The suicide dive works but a middle rope crossbody is pulled out of the air. Back in and Tessa grabs a tornado DDT but here are the Crist Brothers to break up Magnum for the DQ at 3:10.

Rating: D+. They didn’t have time to do anything here but Tessa got in enough offense to make it better than it could have been. It’s one thing to book Tessa against a normal sized guy like Callihan but this was a bit too much to believe. They didn’t go too far with it, but if they hadn’t cut it off when they had, it would have been too much to believe.

Post match Tessa takes the All Seeing Eye but Ken Shamrock comes out for the save. That sets up the (scheduled) main event.

Sami Callihan vs. Ken Shamrock

Non-title. Sami slaps him in the face so Shamrock glares him down into the corner. After begging off a bit, Sami spits at Shamrock and gets kneed in the face for his efforts. That sends Sami outside, with Sami telling Shamrock to give him everything he has. A few shots to the face send Sami staggering into the barricade, but he’s fine enough for the spit chop.

Shamrock is even more annoyed than he was before and he kicks a charging Callihan down. Back in and Callihan gets two off a Death Valley Driver but runs into a powerslam to cut him right back off. Callihan pulls the referee into a charge though, only to get ankle locked a second later. Sami taps to no referee so here’s Fulton again to take out Shamrock. The ankle lock to the unconscious Shamrock gives Sami the win at 5:41.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure how smart it is to have the ancient Shamrock beating up your World Champion for most of the match and then needing help to give the champ the win. That being said, Shamrock has looked WAY better than I would have expected him to since his return. I mean, save for the whole Joey Ryan deal but everyone has to be tormented by something like that.

Post match Fulton stays on Shamrock and sends him outside, where Shamrock seems to hurt his knee. Even Sami tells Fulton to back off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was one of those shows that moved things forward only a little bit while also setting up some of the other things that needed to be done for Hard To Kill. Sami is already feeling like a lame duck champion though and that isn’t a good sign for the next month. Tessa getting the title could be a special moment, but it isn’t looking like a great story on the way there. The rest of the show was hit and miss, but that tends to be the case around here. Not too bad of a show, but one or two things going badly could have made it a horrible one.

Results

Rob Van Dam b. Rhino – Five Star Frog Splash

Moose b. Acey Romero – No Jackhammer Needed

Fallah Bahh b. Raj Singh – Banzai Drop

Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Rascalz, OVE and Reno Scum – Victory roll to Dave Crist

Tessa Blanchard b. Mad Man Fulton via DQ when the Crist Brothers interfered

Sami Callihan b. Ken Shamrock – Ankle lock

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Impact Wrestling – November 5, 2019: They Failed

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 5, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

I don’t know how to say this but the company is on a roll. They had a good Bound For Glory and a rather strong debut on AXS, which seems to actually care about them. That being said, if there is one thing that Impact’s history has taught me it is to never get comfortable with what they are offering as they will instantly make you regret it. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Sami Callihan and OVE (complete with a bunch of unnamed lackeys) are drinking beer because they aren’t cowards who drink bubbly. They started a revolution and they are for Ohio, by Ohio.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Willie Mack

Moose runs him over with ease to start as we hear about his football career. Again. The discus lariat misses and it’s a headscissors to put Moose down, followed by a hurricanrana to send him outside. That means a running flip dive because some sort of a dive is required in wrestling these days.

Back in and Moose hits some running dropkicks in the corner, followed by a hard whip into another corner. The chokebomb out of the corner gets two but Mack fights up to no sell some forearms to the face. The chop off goes to a stalemate so Moose pokes him in the eye, only to get Stunned for his efforts. Mack’s standing moonsault gets two so he goes up but gets crotched right back down. A superplex drops Mack again and the spear gives Moose the pin at 8:38.

Rating: C. They did their usual stuff here with Mack being a freak of a different nature. Moose is your one of a kind athletic marvel though as he is such a big guy who gets to beat up anyone he wants to in a variety of ways. You don’t get something like that every day and it’s worth giving Moose whatever he wants so he can be around for a long time.

Alisha Edwards is scared about going to dinner with Ace Austin but is told to just enjoy it. She goes through some doors and just so happens to overhear Austin and Reno Scum talking about his rather nefarious plans for her. Alisha is livid.

Hard To Kill is coming to Dallas.

Taya Valkyrie and Madison Rayne trade pop music references to insult their fashion sense. Taya leaves and runs into Jordynne Grace, who wants a title shot. That gets her blown off, as expected.

Watch Turning Point this weekend! I won’t be but the card looks decent.

Michael Elgin vs. Fallah Bahh

They slug it out to start with Bahh no selling some big boots to the face. Elgin tries to jump over him in the corner but gets kicked in the ribs. A running splash in the corner hits Elgin’s raised boots and he falls to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and a slingshot double stomp gives Elgin two and he manages a suplex for two as we take a break.

Rating: C. This was a hoss fight but it went on about twice as long as it needed to. You can only do the same power displays so often before the impact stops working. That was what happened here and the match wasn’t all that fun by the end. Elgin winning is the right call and thankfully Impact didn’t do anything zany. Also, well done by Bahh for turning into something other than a comedy goof, which I wouldn’t have bet on happening.

Austin comes up to Alisha, who gives him her hotel key and says they’re skipping dinner.

OVE is drunk and comes in to meet….Tommy Dreamer. They make fun of him for being fat and that’s it.

Flashback Moment of the Week: EC3 vs. Moose for the Grand Championship.

The North tells Naomichi Marufuji to find a partner for a Tag Team Title match next week.

Joey Ryan vs. Ken Shamrock

Just get this over with. Shamrock is in workout shorts and running shoes because he doesn’t think much of Ryan. Ryan gets backed up against the ropes and Ken gives him a clean break before snapping off some armdrags. The ankle lock attempt sends Joey to the rope and a dropkick staggers Shamrock. He offers a handshake so Ryan shoves the hand to his crotch for the YouPorn Plex. Shamrock is scared but manages the ankle lock for the win at 4:52.

Rating: F. You have Shamrock, who is pretty close to a legend in wrestling, willing to come in and help you out a little bit and this is what you use him for? To give a spot to Joey Ryan’s comedy bits? The Ryan stuff is dumb enough on its own for about 184 reasons, but they use Shamrock to do it? And Shamrock agreed???

OVE goes into the locker room and try on Daga’s vest. Daga comes in and a fight is teased until Rich Swann breaks it up to give us a main event.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Madison Rayne

Non-title. Madison tries to point out the LRL logo on the back of her trunks….but it’s not there for some reason. Taya kicks her down and hits a basement dropkick before kicking away. The armbar doesn’t last long so Taya stomps away in the corner, only to get drop toeholded into the middle buckle.

Madison gets in some knees and we take a break. Back with John E. Bravo tripping Madison down so Taya can take over again. Something like a Side Effect plants Madison again but she’s right back with a tornado DDT for two. A wind up cutter gets two with Bravo throwing his stuffed dog into the ring for the save. Taya knees her down and hits the Road to Valhalla for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C. Taya is doing her thing and it seems pretty clear that we’re building up to the fight with Grace. There is nothing wrong with going there and I could go with Grace taking the title. Rayne is fine as well, but it just isn’t all that interesting of a match here. The Taya stuff has been done to death so far and they need to get to the title shot soon, not wait until January.

Post match Grace comes out and suplexes Bravo as Valkyrie bails.

Gama Singh yells at the Desi Hit Squad and brings in Bhurpinder Singh, who could replace one of them if they keep losing.

Ace goes to the hotel.

Rosemary yells at Susie about killing Allie and doesn’t buy the new act. Rosemary leaves and Susie goes up to Havok, who has no idea what is going on.

Bhurpinder Singh vs. Petey Williams

It wouldn’t be a Canadian show without Williams. For a bit of a detail, the referee has no legs. Williams avoids a charge to start and hammers away to send him outside. The slingshot hurricanrana is countered though and Singh drops a legdrop back inside. A Rock Bottom backbreaker sets up a spinout Rock Bottom for two but Williams is right back with a headscissors. Singh grabs a powerslam for two more, only to get caught with a slingshot….nothing as Singh catches him on the shoulders. That’s fine with Petey who slips down and grabs the Sharpshooter for the win at 3:58.

Rating: D+. This would be the match where we have to get these two into a match and I have no idea why we’re supposed to be interested. The Hit Squad continues to grow despite having all of its interest elsewhere, and then you have Petey who is there because of where the show is taking place. This stuff was old years ago and now it’s just a bad tradition.

Post match Singh goes after the referee but Petey makes the save, allowing the referee to hit a 619 into a 450. This is a thing that happened.

Into the hotel room now, where Alisha tells Ace to take it slow. She goes to change so Ace takes off his clothes and even blindfolds himself. Eddie Edwards, fight on the bed, Alisha canes Ace into the hall and, ahem, reunites with Eddie on the floor.

Johnny Swinger recruits Petey to be his young boy. Petey isn’t carrying his bag but here’s OVE to say they’re bringing the party to the ring.

Turning Point rundown the sequel.

Here’s OVE to celebrate in the ring. After a break, Jake Crist has to introduce Sami Callihan twice so Sami can talk about partying all week long. Cue Tommy Dreamer to talk about how Sami is a bully and a troll. Sami: “Fat Dreamer….can I call you Fat Dreamer?” He offers him a fight but Dreamer wants a referee for an EXTREME celebration.

OVE vs. Tessa Blanchard/Rich Swann/Daga/Tommy Dreamer

Anything goes and they start fighting on the floor. Tessa starts swinging a chair and Dreamer uses it for his baseball slide into Jake’s face. Fulton claw sweeps Dreamer onto the chair but gets tornado DDTed by Daga. It’s Sami vs. Swann for a bit with Rich being sent outside, setting up the showdown with Tessa.

A quick cutter drops Sami and Tessa hits the big flip dive to the floor to take everyone out. Back in and the small form Tower of Doom drops Fulton and Swann hits the double Lethal Injection on Sami and Jake. Sami is right back up with an attempted Cactus Special but gets reversed into a rollup to give Swann the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C-. That is some WWE style booking with the brand new World Champion losing in a random eight person tag a week after winning the title. They can cover up a lot of it by saying Sami was tired/drunk but what’s the point of having lackeys if they can’t take a fall here? Oh and I laughed at the Dreamer inclusion, because it’s a running gag at this point.

Overall Rating: D+. They missed on a lot of points here and it was a big step down from last week. Between the Squad/Petey/Dreamer inclusion to the embarrassment of having Shamrock wasted on Ryan, I was having trouble staying interested in this show. It was one bad Impact Wrestling trope after another and that isn’t a good sign a week after their big debut on their upgraded network.

Results

Moose b. Willie Mack – Spear

Michael Elgin b. Fallah Bahh – Crossface

Ken Shamrock b. Joey Ryan – Ankle lock

Taya Valkyrie b. Madison Rayne – Road to Valhalla

Petey Williams b. Thunderbird Singh – Sharpshooter

Tessa Blanchard/Rich Swann/Daga/Tommy Dreamer b. OVE – Rollup to Callihan

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Impact Wrestling – October 29, 2019: The Right Start

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 29, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

This is the real debut on AXS TV and the in-ring fallout show from Bound For Glory, meaning things better be rocking tonight. The show should be a big deal with Brian Cage defending the World Title against Sami Callihan in a steel cage rematch from Bound For Glory. I’m not sure how this is going to go but they need to get this one right. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video talks about how this is a new era and features a bunch of clips from Bound For Glory. Tessa Blanchard is heavily featured here.

The announcers are in the ring for a change and run down the show for tonight.

Opening sequence.

Naomichi Marufuji vs. Josh Alexander

Ethan Page is out with Alexander. Neither can hit a strike or a takedown to start so Alexander grabs a headlock, only to be rolled up four straight times for near falls. They trade chops with Alexander seemingly regretting the decision in a hurry. A kick to the ribs slows Marufuji down and a missed dropkick makes it worse. Marufuji is right back with a cartwheel into a dropkick and a running double stomp to keep Alexander in trouble.

He’s right back with a Regal Roll and a middle rope knee to the back of the head gets two on Marufuji. There’s a backbreaker for two more but Marufuji wins a quick strikeoff and knees Alexander in the face for a double knockdown. Another slugout goes to Alexander, who grabs a torture rack into a spinout slam for a rather close two. Marufuji hits a superkick into a knee to the face for two more, followed by Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Alexander is a very talented guy but Marufuji is rather good no matter what he is doing and he got to showcase himself well here. That being said, I could go for more of Alexander whenever the North breaks up. Impact is doing a MUCH better job these days of developing their own big names, such as Alexander, Cage, Callihan and Blanchard. Yeah they’ve been big names on the indy scene, but there’s a big difference between that and national TV every week.

Post match Alexander won’t shake hands.

OVE arrives and everyone not named Sami Callihan is banned from the building. Sami agrees, though he isn’t happy.

The Rascalz are in their circle with Dez talking about the attractiveness of Trey’s mom. Cue Fallah Bahh, who smokes and….now starts quoting Shakespeare in the vein of George Steele getting electric shock. Funny idea but it goes on a bit long.

Rosemary/Alexia Nicole/Jordynne Grace vs. Taya Valkyrie/Madison Rayne/Kiera Hogan

Taya and company get jobber entrances, which isn’t a good idea for a champion on a first episode on a new network. Nicole sends Hogan outside to start and follows up with a baseball slide. That leaves Rosemary and Grace to beat up Rayne and Taya as it’s one sided early on. Back from a break with Hogan hitting a jawbreaker on Nicole, allowing the double tag off to Rosemary and Rayne. The suplex sends Rayne flying and Rosemary hammers away with mounted forearms.

Nicole comes in and a cheap shot gives Madison two and it’s Taya coming in to stomp away. Hogan hurricanranas Alexia out of the corner but lands hard and seems to bang up her shoulder. Taya comes back in and gives up the hot tag to Grace for some hard elbows. The Vader Bomb gets two on Taya with Rayne making a save. As Callis makes some veiled shots at Rayne’s husband, Taya finds out there is no one to tag and gets small packaged by Grace for the pin at 9:39.

Rating: C-. This was designed to give Grace a win over the champ to set her up for the next title shot. That has seemed to be where they have been heading for a long time now so it makes sense to go in that direction. Taya has held the title for a LONG time now and it would be logical to get the title onto someone fresh. Grace doesn’t have to be the one, but it’s time for something new (though Taya is far from bad as champion).

We look at Rob Van Dam turning on Rhino at Bound For Glory.

Van Dam is in the hot tub with Katie Forbes and talks about how everyone has stolen his moves over the years. There would be no Kenny Omega or the Young Bucks without him and he’s tired of carrying people, like Rhino.

Video on Michael Elgin.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann

The Squad jumps them to start but it’s something close to a 3D (bulldog instead of a cutter) to put Singh down. Raju gets knocked off the apron but Singh grabs a release gordbuster on Swann. Raju’s Downward Spiral gets two on Swann and the beating continues with Sing’s backbreaker into a running kick to the face.

Singh charges into a boot in the corner though and Swann rolls forward with a clothesline to Raju. There’s the hot tag to Mack and house is cleaned. The Samoan drop into the standing moonsault (Josh: “Shouldn’t be able to do that.”) gets two on Raju but the Squad is back up for an assisted inverted DDT on Swann. Mack makes the save and it’s a Stunner to Singh, setting up an elevated middle rope flip neckbreaker to finish Raju at 4:58.

Rating: C-. They kept this one short and that’s the best thing they could have done. There is no need for Swann and Mack, who should be going after the Tag Team Titles soon, to break much of a sweat against a team like the Hit Squad. It was the right formula here and we got a passable enough match as a result.

Rhino storms into the arena and wants to face Rob Van Dam. Not for a Gore, but so he can beat Rob to a bloody pulp.

Moose is on a golf course and introduces himself, including his sports resume. Then he beat up Ken Shamrock at Bound For Glory so now he wants to do something else. That would be demonstrating a hole in one as we now have a Mr. Perfect knockoff. There is a bit of a twist though as he accuses another golfer of stealing his ball from the hole and throws him into the bunker.

Here’s Ken Shamrock for a chat. Shamrock never thought he would be back in the ring but then this whole thing with Moose got started. After the match, he had to do some soul searching and figure out the next step in his career. Before he gets anywhere though, cue Joey Ryan of all people and Shamrock just looks confused. The lollipop goes down the trunks and Ryan talks about how many great things Shamrock has done.

Shamrock has one more mountain to climb though, and Joey looks down at his trunks. Shamrock: “I don’t know who you are.” Ryan says he makes wrestling fun again, so Shamrock remembers him as “that penis guy.” Shamrock describes himself as a real fighter and Ryan is a gimmick. Ryan: “I’m a little stiff.” He offers Shamrock a chance to touch it, but maybe Shamrock is scared of it choking him out faster than a Gracie.

Shamrock sets things straight: he isn’t out here to retire, but rather to tell Impact that he’s going to hurt anyone who gets in his way. Now he won’t be touching anything, but he can break Ryan’s ankle. The match is on for next week: the World’s Most Dangerous Man vs. the World’s Most Dangerous Manhood. They shake hands and Ryan tries to get him to touch it, which goes as well as you would expect.

Video on Tessa Blanchard.

Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards

Non-title street fight and Eddie starts fight with the suicide dive. A suplex on the floor makes it worse and it’s time for the trashcans full of weapons. Eddie takes too long getting them though and Austin hits him with the baton, plus a trashcan. That’s fine with Eddie, who is right back with some weapon shots to the head as Callis wonders if all the, ahem, bang-a-ranging has worn Ace out. Josh: “WHAT???”

Ace’s cartwheel on the apron into the superkick knocks some spit out of Eddie’s mouth so Ace holds up the I JUST BANGED YOUR WIFE shirt. They head inside for some weapons and Eddie gets in a shot to the head, followed by a table being brought in. Ace’s shot to the head doesn’t do much good and it’s time for a piledriver, only to have Reno Scum come in for the save.

An overhead belly to belly suplex sends Thornstowe through a table in the corner but Ace hits a top rope spinning Fameasser onto a trashcan (Callis: “That might be the Bang-A-Rama!”) for two. Back from a break with Ace hitting an enziguri to catch Eddie on top. Eddie is right back with a heck of a top rope belly to back superplex and it’s kendo stick time.

Ace blocks it with the belt though and hits him in the face for two more. With Eddie down, Ace breaks the kendo stick but takes a trashcan to the head. Eddie puts it on Ace’s head and hits a hard chair shot before grabbing another table. Ace gets in his own shot and loads up the wrist brace but gets caught on top. Eddie gets hit with the brace though and it’s a super Fold through the table for the pin at 16:54.

Rating: B. I like both guys and they have a reason to feud here so there was little surprise that the match was going to be good. Ace getting a big win and getting to keep the feud going (because feuds don’t end around here) is a good thing as it still has at least a little bit of fuel to it. Eddie has come a long way and I’m curious to see how this is going to play out.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Su Yung dies but comes back to life.

The Deaners are at catering when Susie (Su Yung without paint and in a white dress) comes in to say this seems like a nice place. She says it’s nice to meet them and walks off. The Deaners think she’s creepier now than she was before….but she’s good looking.

Johnny Swinger hits on Alisha Edwards (even offering to get her booked in Portland) but Ace comes up to get rid of him. Ace wants her to put Eddie behind her and go to dinner with him. Alisha agrees for next week.

We recap Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan. Cage got married to Melissa Santos and Callihan “accidentally” took her out, causing Cage to destroy him in their World Title match at Bound For Glory. Tonight it’s a rematch in a cage after Sami had OVE threaten Melissa and Cage’s daughter.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage

Post match Sami celebrates but Tessa Blanchard comes out to stare him down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t know how to say this but Impact is on a roll. Bound For Glory was good, its fallout show was rather good and they’re on a network that seems to care about them (and is actually available). It wasn’t a blow away show, but it was a show that makes me want to keep watching and for the first show on AXS, that is a great thing to say.

Results

Naomichi Marufuji b. Josh Alexander – Sliced Bread #2

Jordynne Grace/Rosemary/Alexis Nicole b. Taya Valkyrie/Madison Rayne/Kiera Hogan – Small package to Valkyrie

Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Desi Hit Squad – Middle rope flip neckbreaker to Raju

Ace Austin b. Eddie Edwards – Super Fold through a table

Sami Callihan b. Brian Cage – Super Cactus Special

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Bound For Glory 2019: The Key Is Timing

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Bound For Glory 2019
Date: October 20, 2019
Location: Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s the biggest night of the year and that could mean a lot of things this time around. The main event will see World Champion Brian Cage defending the title against Sami Callihan in a match that was made personal when Callihan attacked Cage’s wife Melissa Santos. In addition, we have Ken Shamrock returning to the ring to face Moose because….star power I guess? Let get to it.

A very small production snafu means we hear applause and cheering for the FBI copyright warning. That intellectual property fan base needs their own wrestling show.

The opening video is a standard set of clips of tonight’s matches. The song has the lyrics “we’re here for the glory” (or something close to it) over and over for a nice touch.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

Back with Eddie getting stomped down in the corner and Cousin Jake coming in at #4. The pseudo tag match breaks out until Rohit Raju is in at #5. Raju gets to clean house for probably the first time ever….and Joey freaking Ryan is in at #6. I mean, the graphic says Cody Deaner but close enough. He offers Jake and Scum the chance to touch it so everyone beats him up, with Luster trying a low blow knee drop for the expected result. Joey chains them together to to flip everyone at once (just go with it), including a double elimination of Raju and Jake.

Havok is in at #7 and grabs Joey by the throat for a chokeslam. Everyone else gets beaten up for a bonus and it’s Rosemary in at #8. That means Joey needs some oil down his trunks so he can offer both women to touch it. A double clothesline puts him down and it’s Madman Fulton in at #9 to clean house again. Rosemary and Havok are both put out and Thornstowe follows them.

Ryan gives Fulton the lollipop and gets tossed with ease as Cody Deaner is in at #10, giving us Eddie, Luster, Fulton and Deaner. Fulton gets rid of Deaner in a hurry so here’s Cody Deaner at #11, though he stays outside to pose instead of facing Fulton in a smart move. Jordynne Grace is in at #12 and gets to clean house, including a German suplex to Fulton (albeit with the assist of an enziguri from Eddie). Swoggle, who is getting as required as Tommy Dreamer, is in at #13.

Swinger gets in as well and spanks Grace, earning himself a quick ejection. Kiera Hogan is in at #14 as they’re flying through these entrances. Swoggle tries to go behind Kiera and gets danced at, earning herself a quick elimination from Grace. Raj Singh is in at #15 as Luster is eliminated to keep the ring fairly empty. Tommy Dreamer is in at #16 and I begin to sigh. Biting and spitting ensue but Fulton takes him down with choking in the corner. Kylie Rae (hometown girl) debuts (more or less) at #17 and is very happy to be here, as is her custom.

Dreamer throws out Raj, poses, and gets dumped by Fulton. Fallah Bahh is in at #18 and catches a diving Fulton in a Samoan drop. Sabu is in at #19 and brings in a chair so he can slip on Air Sabu for old times’ sake. The chair bounces off of Eddie’s face and the tornado DDT makes it worse. Shera is in at #20 to clean house, giving us a final group of Eddie, Fulton, Grace, Rae, Bahh, Sabu and Shera for quite the motley crew.

Shera gets rid of Rae, Grace and Sabu in a hurry to clear out a lot of the ring and leave Eddie against the three monsters. They pair off with Shera getting rid of Bahh so it’s Shera and Fulton taking turns throwing Eddie around. Eddie gets up for a blindside clothesline to eliminate Fulton as the referee comes down to make it a regular match. Fulton chokeslams Eddie onto the apron for a parting gift, only to have Eddie hit the Boston Knee Party for the fast pin on Shera at 33:02.

Rating: D+. This was thirty minutes of “hi I’m here and now I’m out”, followed by a one on one segment that lasted about thirty seconds. It felt like an excuse to get everyone on the show and really would have been better served as a pre-show match than the first thing on the pay per view. It was one entrance after another with no story to be seen and that’s not a great way to start things off. Eddie winning makes sense and it went by quickly, but not the best choice in an opener.

We run down the card you’ve already paid to see.

Brian cage and Melissa Santos arrived earlier. Cage immediately demanded that the World Title match now be No DQ.

We recap the Knockouts Title match. Taya Valkyrie is the longest reigning Knockouts Champion of all time and Tenille Dashwood is the newest big challenger to come after the title. And that’s about it.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood is challenging and Taya has John E. Bravo, dressed as the Joker, with her. Taya jumps her to start and we get going in a hurry. A suplex gets Tenille out of trouble but Taya sends her hard into the corner to take over again. Taya misses a charge though and gets neckbreakered over the middle rope, meaning it’s time for a Bravo distraction so Taya can trip Dashwood up.

Back in and Dashwood’s Fujiwara armbar is broken up in a hurry as commentary talks about Taya’s first ever match being against Dashwood. The far too early slugout goes to Dashwood and she gets two off a high crossbody. Taya rolls her up into the corner though and hits the running knees to rock Dashwood again. A sitout powerbomb out of the corner gives Dashwood two more and they head to the apron for the sole purpose of doing a high impact move on the apron.

Taya hits a rather safe looking package piledriver to send Dashwood outside but she’s fine enough to slam Taya off the top. Taste of Tenille connects and sets up the Spotlight kick, only to have Bravo pull them to the ropes. The distraction lets Taya bring in a chain but Dashwood takes it away and throws it into the crowd. Another Spotlight kick misses though and the Road To Valhalla retains the title at 11:50.

Rating: C. That’s about what I expected as they were doing the kind of match that doesn’t exactly have a fire but is technically fine. Taya retaining the title is fine enough as there are several women gunning for the title and Dashwood just kind of showed up and got the big title shot. It’s smart to go with someone else for the title change, though at this point I’m waiting on Gail Kim to show up again.

Rhino and Rob Van Dam are ready to win the Tag Team Titles. A Gore or a Van Daminator is promised.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Rich Swann/Willie Mack beat LAX in their last match and Rob Van Dam/Rhino aren’t happy that the North got rid of LAX so we’re hitting that triple threat title match.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Rob Van Dam/Rhino

The North is defending. Mack and Alexander start things off with a shoulder taking Mack down. That’s fine with him as he snaps off a hurricanrana so it’s Page and Swann coming in for their turn. A 619 to the ribs into a slingshot neckbreaker into something close to Rolling Thunder gets two on Page, so he flips Swann over by the hair. Rhino comes in instead and takes over on Page in the corner but an Alexander distraction lest the champs take over.

The spinebuster plants Page though and the too early to be a hot tag brings in Van Dam to kick away. The spine legged moonsault hits Page for two and there’s a monkey flip to Alexander. Swann tags himself in and kicks Alexander in the head but another cheap shot from the apron puts Swann in trouble for a change. A backdrop nearly turns Swann into a 450 and it’s back to Alexander for some forearms into the corner.

The assisted spinebuster is countered into a DDT though and Swann snaps off a reverse hurricanrana to Alexander. Now the hot tag can bring in Mack to clean house, including something close to a 3D with Swann playing Bubba for two on Page. Mack frog splashes him for the same and Rob isn’t pleased at the move stealing. A series of kicks to the face set up Alexander’s Regal Roll on Van Dam but Rhino clotheslines Alexander to the floor.

Rating: B-. Pretty bizarre heel turn aside, this was a rather fast paced tag match with the big spots and pretty much what it needed to be throughout. Swann and Mack are a good team and will likely get the titles someday. I’m cool with the North retaining though as they have turned into a treat to watch. Rhino vs. Van Dam doesn’t sound interesting, but it’s better than having two ECW feuds at once….I think.

Ace Austin, in a towel, comes in to see Alisha, who isn’t pleased. He still wants her to celebrate if he wins the title, but she wants him in more clothes.

We recap Naomichi Marufuji vs. Michael Elgin, which is little more than a challenge match because Elgin needed something to do and the show needed a guest star.

Michael Elgin vs. Naomichi Marufuji

We recap the X-Division Title match. Jake Crist is champion and is defending in a five way ladder match because it’s Bound For Glory.

X-Division Title: Daga vs. Jake Crist vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Acey Romero vs. Ace Austin

We recap Moose vs. Ken Shamrock. Moose has started disrespecting so Shamrock (who still looks about 75) is fighting to prove that he’s still a man and to teach Moose some respect. In other words, it’s football vs. MMA.

Moose says he has fought some tough men before and has been trained by Frank Trigg. Frank brags about Moose’s awesomeness and isn’t worried about the match.

Moose vs. Ken Shamrock

Moose has Trigg with him and is rapped to the ring by someone that most fans probably haven’t heard of before. Ok so it’s his brother but that doesn’t make things much better. They stare each other down to start until Shamrock gets in a headscissors. The armbreaker is blocked with raw power but Moose bails to the ropes to get out of the ankle lock. Josh thinks Shamrock isn’t used to rope breaks because Josh isn’t that bright sometimes.

Shamrock is back up with a freaking suicide dive of all things and Moose’s chops just annoy him. A poke to the eye works a bit better but Shamrock backdrops him onto the ramp. Shamrock gets posted though and they’re both already holding their backs. Moose throws him back in but Shamrock is right back with a slingshot dive. Trigg’s distraction lets Moose kick the leg out, allowing Moose to cut off a turnbuckle pad.

Neither guy is going head first into the buckle so Shamrock goes with a belly to belly into the ankle lock. The referee gets bumped (well duh) and Moose gets in a low blow (bigger duh). Moose declares himself the World’s Most Dangerous Man and swings a chair but Shamrock reverses into the ankle lock again. Trigg comes in for the save so Shamrock punches him down and grabs ankle lock. This time Moose rolls him into the exposed buckle and hits the spear for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C. Given what I was expecting, this was quite the nice surprise. It still wasn’t very good but Shamrock didn’t come close to embarrassing himself and that’s what mattered. Moose winning was the only option they had and they didn’t do anything stupid. Call this the surprise of the show and that’s a good thing.

They’re back on pay per view in January with Hard To Kill.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage for the World Title. Sami has attacked both Cage and Cage’s wife but it isn’t the Sami he wanted the world to see. It’s the one that the world made come out though and he’s going to cripple Cage to win the title. Sami has turned into an awesome guy that you want to see get crushed.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage

Cage (in Wolverine gear) is defending and it’s No DQ. As you might expect, Cage isn’t wasting time and they go straight to it with Callihan spitting in his face for reasons of general insanity. Callihan flips him off and gets taken down for the pummeling. Cage has already busted him open with a bite to the head and it’s time to rake the cut with a Wolverine claw. A springboard clothesline sends Cage outside but he’s right back in for a dive to drop Callihan.

Cage isn’t done and hits a big running flip dive but Callihan blasts him with a chair to the back to take over. That’s shrugged off as well for a toss powerbomb into the post because Cage can do that. Callihan manages to set up two chairs at ringside but gets dropped onto a table. Cage puts part of the barricade onto the chairs, only to get Cactus Specialed through it for his efforts. Fans: “THAT WAS MURDER!”

Back in (for a change) and Sami even mocks the Terminator clap before kneeing/kicking Cage in the face. Cage pops right back up with the apron superplex and there’s a release German suplex. A pumphandle faceplant gets two on Callihan, who is right back up with a suplex for two more. The hanging piledriver gives Callihan the same, only to have Cage snap off an F5.

Rating: B+. I had a great time with this one as they didn’t bother going with a wrestling match, as they certainly didn’t need to. Cage should have been out for blood here and that’s exactly what he did, making the whole thing the violent carnage that it needed to be. They did what they should have done here and that means a lot in a match that was built around pure violence. Cage is a monster when he’s on and that was the case here, which means whoever takes the title is going to look like a giant killer.

Post match Melissa Santos comes out to celebrate with Cage to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Once we got past that opener (and the streaming issues, which were only an issue at the start) and a not that good Knockouts match, this turned into a heck of a show with a little bit of everything. I’m both surprised and not surprised though, as Impact tends to do much better on their pay per views, though the build for this show (outside of the main event) has not been good. They had a big show at the right time and if they can keep that up, AXS TV could bring a lot of positive things. Anyway, very solid show here and worth checking out, especially if you skip the opener.

Results

Eddie Edwards won a gauntlet match last eliminating Shera

Taya Valkyrie b. Tenille Dashwood – Road To Valhalla

The North b. Rich Swann/Willie Mack and Rob Van Dam/Rhino – Assisted spinebuster to Swann

Michael Elgin b. Naomichi Marufuji – Burning Hammer

Ace Austin b. Acey Romero, Tessa Blanchard, Jake Crist and Daga – Austin pulled down the title

Moose b. Ken Shamrock – Spear

Brian Cage b. Sami Callihan – Drill Claw

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Bound For Glory 2019 Preview

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Oh yeah they do pay per views around here. Impact is in a promising place for a change as they move to AXS TV later this month and have one big show to get through first. There are some good looking matches on the card and that means the show should work. This company’s pay per views have a tendency to be pretty good and this is their biggest of the year so hopefully the trend holds. Let’s get to it.

Rascalz vs. Dr. Wagner Jr./Aero Star/Taurus

This is one of those matches that should follow a pretty logical path but you never can tell with this company. The idea here is simple: take an Impact trip and have them face three luchadors, but it might not be as obvious as it seems. The Rascalz lost a trios match last week on Impact, so would it be that crazy to see it happen again? Given the amount of international guest stars this show has, they certainly seem to be important around here.

I’ll take the luchadors to win here as I really do think Impact would rather use them as jobbers for the three international stars. What this does for Impact going forward isn’t clear, but I guess they don’t think their shows will work people from outside the company to make them watchable. That has been the case around here for far too long and it seems to be the case here, as the Rascalz lose.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

So this is a match where the winner gets the title shot of their choosing. That’s a fine idea, but there is one problem here: it isn’t clear who all is in the match. We know a few names though and that should be enough to make some sense of the thing. The problem though is there is always the chance of some kind of a surprise twist, which won’t make a lot of sense but they’ll go with it anyway.

I’ll take Tessa Blanchard to win here as it still seems that Impact wants her to be World Champion. She clearly still has issues with OVE and that means putting her against Sami Callihan and the newly won World Title. It’s the kind of thing that they seem to want to go for and while it wouldn’t be the biggest stretch, it might be too much too soon. I can see the thinking there though and I’ll go with that over some wild card winner, which is equally possible.

Ken Shamrock vs. Moose

So yeah, this is something that is taking place too, because we need that seventeen year old nostalgia for someone who was in the company for….what a few months or so? I’m not sure how bad this is going to be but there is a chance of VERY bad, which is about what you have to expect at this point from Shamrock. He has wrestled a handful of matches this year so he won’t be entirely rusty, but this still has the potential to be a terrible result.

For the sake of my sanity, I’ll go with Moose winning, because Shamrock should only be here for the sake of putting him over. I’m not sure how much value there is in that or why it needs to take place on the biggest show of the year, but it could be passable if they keep it to about five minutes. This doesn’t come off as a good idea, but as long as they avoid disaster, fine enough.

Tag Team Titles: The North(c) vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Rob Van Dam/Rhino

Much like Moose vs. Shamrock, this is a case where they’ll be fine if they don’t do something stupid. I really wasn’t feeling the idea of Van Dam and Rhino getting a title shot but as long as they don’t walk out as champions, it really doesn’t hurt anything. The North have turned into a treat and one of the better tag teams going today, which I never would have bet when they first showed up.

You could go in two different directions here but the more I think about it, the more I think the North retains. Swann and Mack winning would make for a better moment, but I don’t think that’s where they are going. The match should be entertaining and you can have the ECW guys get in their stuff in the right spots. Put this together well and you could have a heck of a supporting match on your hands.

X-Division Title: Jake Crist(c) vs. Daga vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Rohit Raju vs. Sabu vs. Ace Austin

This is a ladder match and WHAT THE HECK DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS ONE??? Of all the people in the world, we need Raju and Sabu in this thing? Was there any need to have those two in here instead of just going with the other four and having a fun match as a result? Sabu will likely get in his big dive and the people can chant ECW and hopefully he doesn’t die. Now with the nostalgia out of the way, we can move on to something else.

I think I’ll go with Austin here, as he is someone they seem intent on pushing. Give him the title so they can continue the Edwards vs. Austin feud for the title, if nothing else so we can get more Austin creepiness. It’s either going to be him or Crist, as I don’t want to see Blanchard win the title like this. If they want to make her a big deal, a future pinfall makes a lot more sense than having her win a ladder match, which can come off as luck more than skill.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie(c) vs. Tenille Dashwood

I’m really not sure what to expect with this one as Valkyrie has held the title for a long time but I can’t picture Dashwood being the one to take it from her. Dashwood is the kind of star who should be the big breakout deal but ever since her debut outside of WWE, the spark just hasn’t been there and I’m not sure they’ll make her champion here.

So yeah I’ll go with Valkyrie retaining, but I don’t think she’s going to keep the title that much longer. There are a lot of Knockouts stories going on in Impact at the moment and they don’t all have to do with the title. Havok seems to be next in line and I don’t think Valkyrie gets by her. Dashwood can be awesome, but she seems to be living off of her reputation at the moment and that isn’t great.

Michael Elgin vs. Naomichi Marufuji

It’s another guest star here as Marufuji is a big deal in Pro Wrestling Noah and since Elgin has a long career in Japan, this is what we’re getting. The match is likely to be very good, though it brings up the most common problem with this kind of match: why should I care about Marufuchi? Other than “he’s from Japan”, there isn’t much to go on with him here and it shows badly.

There is no reason to go against Elgin here as Marufuji is only here to put him over. The match is likely to be hard hitting and entertaining, but I just can’t imagine anything other than an Elgin Bomb for the pin. Elgin came into Impact red hot and has cooled down a bit, but he should be fine enough to get the win here. If nothing else, he’s the one sticking around and why have him lose otherwise?

Impact Wrestling World Title: Brian Cage(c) vs. Sami Callihan

Now this one is actually intriguing as the story of Callihan attacking Cage’s new wife is something that has some legs to it. Cage is a physical freak and should be able to destroy Callihan, but with the OVE lackeys and Cage being so furious, maybe they can pull off some kind of a surprise here. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Cage actually defend the belt after he won it six months ago.

That being said, I think I’ll go with Callihan winning here. They’re setting up the Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude formula from Summerslam 1990 as Callihan has defeated Cage before, but this time around I think Callihan takes the title. Cage has barely done anything with it due to injuries and scheduling issues, so giving it to Callihan, who has been built up for a long time, makes a lot of sense.

Overall Thoughts

There really are a lot of guest stars on this show and I’m not seeing that as a good sign for the future. It’s like they don’t believe in their own talent enough and that isn’t exactly encouraging. What matters here though is getting a good show out there so we can move into the AXS TV era on a high note, and there is a good reason to believe that they could pull it off. Things will have to go right in a very specific way, but there is a path here and that’s as good as anything else. I’m curious about this one and that hasn’t been the case with Impact for a long time.

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Pacific Coast Wrestling – The Shining: The Old And The New

IMG Credit: Pacific Coast Wrestling

The Shining
Date: March 26, 2016
Location: Oak Street Gym, Torrance, California
Commentators: Todd Keneley, Christian Cole

Since I can’t stop myself, this is the second event from Pacific Coast Wrestling. I got the first, third and fourth events in various DVD boxes I bought over the last few months so let’s knock this one out just for the sake of completion. Unfortunately we’re taking a step back towards the first show, which wasn’t very good and away from the third and fourth, which were rather solid. Hopefully there is at least some middle ground. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the wild brawl between MVP and the Almighty Sheik from the first show. Tonight: a Syrian Death Match.

The announcers preview the show.

Opening sequence.

The ring announcer is far easier to hear this time than at the fourth event. How odd.

Ryan Taylor vs. Douglas James

Taylor looks like a cross between Pac and Finn Balor. James gets taken down early on and they hit the grappling. Back up and James knocks him in the corner but gets kicked in the arm to cut him off. A twist of the arm takes him down again as Taylor starts in using a villainous sneer. As we hear about James’ athletic background in combat sports, Taylor kicks him in the arm again before winning a slugout.

James finally hits a springboard spinning uppercut to get a breather but gets crotched on top for his efforts. Taylor gets knocked off the top though and James’ top rope elbow gets two. That doesn’t seem to matter though as Taylor small packages and brainbusters him for two each, followed by an ax kick for an even nearer fall. James grabs an O’Connor Roll but Taylor flips him forward and grabs the leg for a rollup of his own for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C. Taylor looked rather indyish but his work was good enough to make up for the not exactly thrilling look. These two had a nice back and forth match here though with enough action and both guys hitting some good looking stuff. It’s no masterpiece or even anything memorable, but for what it was, it worked well.

The announcers explain the concept of the Syrian Death Match main event. Well ok it’s really just promising violence.

Here is Almighty Sheik’s manager MK for a chat. MK demands SILENCE before he explains the main event, though the fans let him know that they don’t know who he is. Therefore he’ll speak slowly in case people can’t understand him. That earns him an MVP chant but MK says MVP is in trouble as he has no experience in a Syrian Death Match. Apparently it’s a body bag match, and I have no idea why that needed so much of an explanation.

Joe Graves vs. Timothy Thatcher

Rematch from last time when Thatcher won. The fans are behind Thatcher to start and it’s a fight over a lockup to start before heading to the mat. Thatcher grabs the leg so Graves grabs the head, meaning it’s an early standoff. The delay lets the fans cheer for Thatcher again so a takeover into a near cross armbreaker has them rather pleased. Thatcher punches him in the ribs a few times before switching back to a failed cross armbreaker attempt.

The rocking surfboard hold goes on and Graves screams a lot, only to reverse into a Billy Goat’s Curse. We go to the grappling on the mat again with Graves getting something close to a triangle. That’s reversed into a bow and arrow hold and then a Fujiwara armbar as Thatcher keeps picking him apart. Graves powers up with a suplex for a breather but Thatcher sends him shoulder first into the buckle. Another Fujiwara attempt is countered into a rear naked choke to make Thatcher, whose nose seems broken, tap at 7:28.

Rating: C. The ending came out of nowhere but these two are capable of having a good technical match against each other with what seems to be ease so it’s not like this was bad. Thatcher is someone who should be getting a chance on a big stage, though it’s still cool to see him have a match on this stage.

Post match Graves says last time Thatcher was better but tonight it was the opposite. Graves is the best in the world though and that isn’t changing.

Keepers of the Faith vs. Classic Connection

Rematch from last time and the Connection (Levi Shapiro/Buddy Royal) still has the masked Fat Dick Johnson in their corner. He mocks the crowd a lot and brags about his sexual prowess. Hold on though as the Keepers have to chase the Connection over the barricade as the announcers talk about Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where wrestlers such as Christopher Daniels, Kazarian and John Cena got their start.

Gabriel Gallo steals the Connection’s towel and throws it around so we can get to the weapons check. We STILL can’t get to the bell though as Gallo, who seems to think he’s a dog, charges at the Connection again. The bell rings and Shapiro starts cringing at the threat of a chop from Dom Vitalli. Shapiro gets chopped so it’s off to the corner where Royal can blow on the chest a bit.

It’s off to Royal, who gets chopped in the corner as well as it’s one sided so far. Royal crawls over to Shapiro and it’s time for a three way villainous meeting on the floor. Back in and Royal is laid across the top turnbuckle for some kicks to the ribs. Gallo comes in for a double backdrop so Shapiro is back in to get chopped some more. Johnson FINALLY does something about it by low bridging Vitalli to the floor and getting in a cane shot.

The neck crank goes on with Royal leaning down to shout in his ear. This would be a great place to imitate Superstar Billy Graham and say that he’s telling Vitalli that he’s going down but commentary just keeps going instead. Shapiro drops a middle rope headbutt for two but Vitalli is able to jawbreak his way to freedom out of a sleeper.

There’s still no hot tag though as Shapiro whips him into the corner, only to set up a double clothesline. Now the hot tag can bring Gallo back in so house can be cleaned. A spinebuster plants Shapiro so Vitalli can come back in with a top rope elbow. Gallo and Royal fight to the floor so Johnson can get in a cane shot, but Gallo turns the cover over so Vitalli can get the pin at 11:55.

Rating: C. I’ve seen the Keepers of the Faith on three of the four shows so far and they’re a pretty impressive team. They look good together, they wrestle well together and while I’m not big on their name, I’m surprised that they haven’t gotten at least a shot on a bigger show. They’re not some can’t miss prospect but they’re one of the best parts of the show, if nothing else due to their consistency.

Scorpio Sky vs. Kenny King

They dance at each other to start, including a Michael Jackson move from King that knocks Sky down. An exchange of headlocks doesn’t get anyone anywhere so we’ll reset again. They both try dropkicks to another standoff so Sky runs him over with a shoulder. King is right back up with a Russian legsweep into another headlock as they stay in first gear.

Sky has to bail to the floor for a breather so King hits the slingshot corkscrew dive. Back in and an atomic drop has King in trouble so Sky can hammer away at the head. Sky’s bodyscissors keeps King down and a leg lariat gets two. King kicks him down as well though and it’s time to pull himself up in the corner.

A handstand kick to the head sets up a spinebuster for two on Sky and we hit the half crab, with a great closeup camera shot of Sky’s face reaching for the rope. The rope is reached and Sky snaps off a Side Effect for two and another double knockdown. They slug it out until Sky’s jumping knee is countered into a capture suplex for two. King misses the Blockbuster though and it’s a running knee into the Ace of Spades (TKO) for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: C+. Every time I see Sky on one of these shows, I get why he is getting the chance he is getting today. He really is smooth in the ring and can have a good match against anyone. Sky is still young enough to do a lot of good things in wrestling and it’s cool to see him in a major company today.

Earlier today, JR Kratos sat down for an interview. He’s here to face the top talent in wrestling and will always give his hardest. He has trained with some great people and wants to make them proud. The Kratos Era is beginning and he wants to be like one of his heroes: Mike Tyson, who was the scariest person in a boxing ring. For someone named after the god of war, this was a pretty tame interview.

JR Kratos vs. Jeff Cobb

They shake hands and go into the feeling out process to start without much major contact in the first minute. Kratos has a seat in the corner as Cole can’t remember the details he was told about Cobb’s Olympic career about a minute and a half ago. They go to the mat with Kratos going to the mat and managing to get a Kimura but Cobb takes him down with a waistlock.

Kratos switches into one of his own and Cobb looks rather surprised. An armdrag sends Cobb into the corner and it’s time for the big chop off. Kratos gets the better of that as well and throws Cobb into the corner again, followed by a headlock takeover. That’s enough for Cobb, who muscles him up into a pumphandle suplex. It’s not enough to keep Kratos in trouble though as he kicks Cobb in the face for two.

A piledriver gets the same and one person tries a THAT WAS THREE chant. There’s always something hilarious about that, even if it’s also kind of sad. They chop it out again until an exchange of boots to the face puts both guys down. Another suplex drops Kratos, who pops right back up with a jumping knee to the face. The Game Changer (sitout spinebuster) finishes Cobb at 10:43.

Rating: B-. I can always go for two big, athletic guys beating each other up and that’s what they did here. Cobb would grow up a lot in the coming years and that’s the kind of thing you can never get tired of seeing. Kratos has a lot of potential as well and I’m not sure why he hasn’t gone anywhere on the bigger stage. Fun hoss battle here.

We get the post match handshake.

Kevin Martenson vs. Willie Mack

Martenson is rather odd, including standing on his hands and clapping his feet together during his entrance. Mack gets quite the positive reaction, which tends to be the case everywhere he goes. The smaller Martenson slams him to start and goes up, with Mack looking at him and wondering what he’s doing. He comes back down so Mack can hit his swinging slam and a shoulder sends Martenson outside.

A delayed suplex brings him back in for two and a Codebreaker over the ropes puts Martenson on the floor again. Back in and a hard shot to the chest gets two as the announcers brag about selling the building out for their first two shows (fair enough). Martenson knocks him to the floor for a change and hits a double stomp off the apron, followed by a missile dropkick.

The fans are behind Willie as Martenson stomps away in the corner so Mack headbutts the heck out of him for a breather. Martenson is fine enough to hit a slingshot elbow for two before just hammering away with right hands. Some kicks to the leg don’t work very well though as Mack kicks him in the head, which makes the announcers talk about Moons Over My Hammy, which makes me want to go to Denny’s.

Mack hits a slingshot dropkick in the corner to set up the Cannonball for two. A Samoan drop into a standing moonsault has Martenson in more trouble. Mack’s Doomsday Saito suplex sends Martenson to the floor and that means the big flip dive. Back in and Martenson hits a bicycle kick into a brainbuster for two of his own. Mack doesn’t seem to mind as it’s a Stunner into a Chocolate Thunder Driver for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. This was one of those matches where they just went out there and did a lot of stuff, which is exactly what a show like this needed to do. Sometimes you need to have something that showcases talent and gives the fans a reason to come back and for a second show ever, that makes a lot of sense. So does pushing Mack, though Martenson looked good here too.

Almighty Sheik vs. MVP

Sheik has MK with him and this is a Syrian Death Match, which means a body bag match. Hang on though as Sheik needs to pray first, but MVP’s music cuts him off, as you had to expect. MVP slugs away to start and tries a big boot but Sheik bails to the floor. That’s fine with MVP who hits a dive and the slugout starts on the outside. A clothesline puts Sheik over the barricade and that means it’s time for a chair shot and walking around through the crowd.

Now the big boot connects to put them back at ringside and MVP DDTs him onto the apron. Cole: “Outside of that post, the hardest part of that ring.” WHY DO SO FEW COMMENTATORS GET THAT??? It’s table time but MVP has to block the spike to the head. A neckbreaker drops Sheik as we hear about the current political climate against people like Sheik. Another big boot knocks the busted open Sheik off the buckle and out to the floor.

They head outside again with Sheik being put on the table but MK offers a distraction (it’s about time), allowing Sheik to get in a bell shot. Back in and Sheik drops an elbow, setting up a one armed camel clutch. The full version goes on as the announcers turn it into a discussion of building a wall. MVP breaks it up with a drop onto his back and some clotheslines, into high collar suplex….which the camera misses by not panning down.

The Ballin Elbow connects and it’s time for the body bag. Well at least it’s time to unfold it as MVP loads up a suplex off the apron through the table. MK makes the save and Sheik has to save him from a Death Valley Driver by throwing a fireball, sending MVP through the table. That’s enough to close the body bag and give Sheik the win at 12:27.

Rating: D+. I don’t know what it is about these two but it doesn’t work. Maybe it’s the Sheik being the most generic foreign heel in the world or MVP not being the most traditional face, but the whole thing just came and went. It was a brawl around the arena until we got to the finish and then it was over. What else am I supposed to get out of this?

Post match MVP is let out of the bag and beats up MK, including Ballin. MK gets bagged to end the show and send the fans home happy.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird hybrid between the first and third shows, which means you have some good and some bad. The problem is the matches are just coming and going, which has to be the case on a second show. They had a rematch to their big main event the first time around so at least they did something. You won’t be bored watching it but there are better things like can watch. Like their future shows.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling – September 20, 2019: Attempted Murder, Farewell And Cheat Food

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 20, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

I’m pretty sure this is the final show in Mexico and that might be the best thing for everyone involved. These shows haven’t been the most consistent with a cross between horrible and entertaining enough. Tonight is all about LAX, who are having their farewell match before heading off to AEW. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Instead of the usual opening sequence, we get a nice retrospective on Santana and Ortiz, which is more than deserved.

Opening sequence.

OVE vs. Tessa Blanchard/Rob Van Dam/Rhino/Tommy Dreamer

Street fight so the slugout is on in a hurry. Sami and Van Dam are left alone in the ring with Rob kicking him down and hitting Rolling Thunder. Tessa and Jake take their places with Tessa crotching him in the corner to take over. The running Codebreaker out of the corner puts them both on the floor so it’s Fulton coming back in to slug it out with Rhino. With Rhino not having the best luck, Dreamer comes back in and hits a cutter on Fulton, who pops back up with a big boot.

Dave gets backdropped onto the pile at ringside and Tommy follows with the fall (there was a lack of diving) off the top. Van Dam hits his own flip dive, leaving Sami vs. Tessa inside. Another cutter drops Sami but Dave superplexes Tessa onto the pile again. Back in and Rhino no sells a suplex from Sami and it’s time for the parade of people knocking each other down with one shot. Tessa tornado DDTs Fulton but he’s right back up with a gorilla press so Jake can come in off the top with a big cutter.

Dreamer and Van Dam bring in a kendo stick with Rhino sliding in a table for a bonus. Before Dave can go through it though, Sami low blows Dreamer and Rhino. Dreamer grabs Sami with a groin claw though and Rhino Gores Dave through the table. The Five Star hits Jake and Tessa puts on the Crossface with the kendo stick to make Jake tap at 9:49.

Rating: C+. Not bad here with the ECW people being rather unnecessary supporting stars for Tessa. In theory this should set her up for the X-Division Title shot at Bound For Glory while the ECW people do….whatever it is that they do when they’re not on Impact. It was a pretty entertaining match, but I can’t help sighing whenever the ECW guys show up.

Ace Austin shows up in a wheelchair and neck brace but promises to be here for Alisha Edwards. He smirks at the camera after she leaves. This is another example of a story that would be over as soon as anyone involved watched the show.

We see LAX’s first Tag Team Title win.

The North is ready to celebrate LAX leaving, and they even have a pinata.

The announcers preview the show.

Alisha Edwards vs. Taya Valkyrie

Non-title. Alisha mocks Taya’s gyrating entrance and gets taken down for some right hands to the head. Cue Ace in his wheelchair as Taya chokes in the corner. Alisha manages to send her into the corner and hits a basement dropkick, followed by a Downward Spiral for two as John E. Bravo put Taya’s foot on the rope. Ace pops out of the chair and does his handstand on the apron into the kick to Bravo, with Alisa somehow not seeing any of it. Taya gets in a cheap shot and hits the Road To Valhalla for the pin at 3:24.

Rating: D. This story isn’t doing much for me whenever Eddie isn’t involved as Alisha isn’t all that good. Taya needs a big time opponent for Bound For Glory and I’m not sure who that is going to be. There are a lot of possible options but none of them really stand out above the others. The bigger problem though is Alisha looking rather ridiculous to not get what is going on, as apparently NO ONE in the company has told her a thing about what is going on in the ring and backstage.

Post match Alisha checks on Ace.

The North is looking for people to join their party (with Alexander no selling the whole thing). They run into Rob Van Dam and Rhino, the latter of whom rips up their pinata. I think we have our new #1 contenders.

Gama Singh introduces Mahabali Shera as the newest member of the Desi Hit Squad.

Mahabali Shera vs. Cody Deaner

Shera drives him straight into the corner and starts hammering away, followed by a neckbreaker to keep Cody in trouble. Cody slugs away and hits a suicide dive onto the rest of the Squad, only to dive into a chokeslam back inside. A World’s Strongest Slam ends Cody at 2:47. Shera looks great now but the Squad’s entire gimmick of being from India is still not enough to make me care.

Classic LAX moment: the street fight with the OGz.

We get what looks to be a glitch as Melissa Santos pops up with headphones in her ears, looking like she’s ready for a Skype interview before disappearing after about a second.

Rascalz vs. Australian Suicide/Toxin/Arez

The Rascalz jump the not quite named luchadors to start and hit stereo suicide dives. We settle down to Trey wristdragging Australian into a dropkick to the floor. Toxin comes in for a bunch of flips into a brainbuster to send Trey outside, with Dezmond flipping in to strike away. Arez comes in for a backbreaker on Dezmond so Wentz comes back in for a springboard spinning crossbody.

The Rascalz are sent outside for a big corkscrew dive from Toxin, followed by dives from the other two. Back in and the Rascalz are fine enough to hit a Burning Hammer/top rope double stomp combination to Toxin but Australian makes a save with a moonsault. A superkick into the push moonsault finishes Australian at 4:38.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that is always going to work because it’s such pure insanity that is just entertaining. I’m not sure who the Rascalz will be fighting at Bound For Glory but it better be someone rather big, as the team deserves a high profile match. They don’t seem to get that around here, but they should be getting one.

Moose is walking the streets of Mexico City and looks for a fight. He finds and wins one while shouting for Ken Shamrock.

Various wrestlers (including Tommy Dreamer of course) are in Las Vegas for Brian Cage’s bachelor party. More on this later.

We get a sitdown interview with Tenille Dashwood, who is happy to be here because she hasn’t faced a lot of the Knockouts. She wrestled Taya Valkyrie in Taya’s first match and it went badly for Taya. Now it’s all about her.

Jessika Havok vs. Su Yung

No DQ. Havok has a staple gun and jumps Su during the entrance to start the fighting in a hurry. Su gets in a few shots of her own but Havok follows her outside. Old School on the barricade is easily broken up and it’s time for a ladder to be brought in. Su grabs a hanging Pedigree and dodges a charge in the corner to send Havok into a chair. Yung grabs the staple gun and stabs Havok in the….somewhere, setting up a cannonball off the apron. The bloody glove is loaded up but Havok Tombstones her for the pin at 6:07.

Rating: D+. This feud hasn’t been interesting since the start as it’s been so all over the place that it’s hard to keep track of why they’re fighting in the first place. Or maybe it’s just not interesting enough to make me want to keep track of the thing. Yung was interesting when she came in but they booked her like any other Knockout for so long that the impact is long gone.

Post match Su pops up and Mandible Claws Havok before pelting a chair at her head. They fight to the back with a quickly edited brawl up a stairwell. Havok grabs a rope and hangs Su over the stairs….and we see the legs hanging as we have our latest murder.

And now, Melissa Santos’ bachelorette party with the Knockouts attending and Taya making it all about her. Joey Ryan shows up as the stripper and I’ve seen more convincing acting on Total Divas.

Cage’s bachelor party includes him eating a bunch of cheat foods. Dreamer: “This is kind of turning me on.”

Classic LAX: Barbed Wire Massacre III vs. OVE.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Shane Douglas vs. Raven in a hair vs. hair match from 2003.

Next week: Johnny Swinger.

Bound For Glory rundown.

LAX vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Everyone shakes hands to start as they’re all friends here. Santana and Swann start things off and it’s an early trip to the mat for a standoff. They both flip out of hurricanrana attempts so Swann hits a dropkick for the first real offense. Santana takes him into the corner though and it’s Ortiz coming in for the rapid fire double teaming. Ortiz slaps on a Boston crab but it’s quickly back to Santana, who gets armdragged into the corner.

It’s off to Mack, who gets double dropkicked for his efforts. Mack and Swann are fine enough to run Santana over and put him in trouble for the first time. Ortiz gets caught in a Samoan drop so the standing moonsault can connect for two. Back from a break with Ortiz being caught in the wrong corner for more chops. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Ortiz jawbreaks his way to freedom.

Ortiz manages to drop Mack though and it’s a double knockdown for a breather. The hot(ish) tag brings in Santana for a running kick to Mack’s chest as everything breaks down. Ortiz comes back in off a blind tag and an assisted powerslam gets two. Everything breaks down and a reverse Razor’s Edge/top rope flipping neckbreaker plant Santana for two more.

A dragon screw legwhip drops Mack and a powerbomb puts Swann down but Santana can’t cover. Two more powerbomb get two on Swann but somehow he’s fine enough to slip out of the Street Sweeper. The super hurricanrana sets up Mack’s frog splash for two, followed by a bunch of kicks to Santana’s head. The handspring cutter into the Stunner into the Phoenix splash into the frog splash finish Santana and LAX at 18:38.

Rating: B. This worked well and that shouldn’t be surprising in the slightest. LAX has been one of the best teams in the world for a very long time now and it is no shock that they can have a very good match with a team as good as Swann and Mack. They deserve the big sendoff and that’s what they got, as the AEW Tag Team Titles are next up.

The locker room comes out to send LAX off.

Su Yung wakes up in the hospital. Apparently she’s murder proof.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event helped but it’s clear that there are a lot of things on this show that aren’t working. It feels like so many of the stories are just thrown together with no direction in mind and they’re hoping for the best. Bound For Glory is looking ok at best, as we spent this week with two Tommy Dreamer segments, the ECW guys being set up as title contenders and a case of murder before a nice sendoff. That’s as all over the place as you can get and while they still have time, it’s not making Bound For Glory look great.

Results

Tessa Blanchard/Rob Van Dam/Rhino/Tommy Dreamer b. OVE – Crossface with a kendo stick to Dave Crist

Taya Valkyrie b. Alisha Edwards – Road To Valhalla

Mahabali Shera b. Cody Deaner – World’s Strongest Slam

Rascalz b. Toxin/Arez/Australian Suicide – Push moonsault to Australian Suicide

Jessika Havok b. Su Yung – Tombstone

Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. LAX – Frog splash to Santana

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Pacific Coast Wrestling – Relentless: WHAT THE HECK

Relentless
Date: June 4, 2016
Location: Oak Street Gym, Torrence, California
Commentators: Christian Cole, Todd Keneley

I’m finally finishing up a set of DVDs I bought (just as another set is almost delivered) with another show from Pacific Coast Wrestling. One of the earlier DVDs was their first event and while this is their third, I skipped over the second after their lackluster offering last time. It’s a pretty small looking indy company, but maybe things can get better with a little more experience. Let’s get to it.

Quick welcome from the announcers.

Opening sequence.

Joe Graves vs. Hammerstone

Hammerstone would go on to bulk up (though he’s big here) and become a pretty awesome power guy in MLW. Graves is fresh off beating Timothy Thatcher in a rematch at the second show. They shake hands to start and Graves bails into the corner for a bit. With that out of the way, Graves takes him down for a quick choke, followed by a crucifix for two. Graves cranks on the arms until Hammerstone makes it over to the rope for a much needed break. Hammerstone tries to pick up the pace so Graves bails to the floor, only to get taken down with a baseball slide.

Just because he can, Hammerstone hits a big flip dive to drop Graves again. An overhead belly to belly on the floor makes it even worse for Graves as Hammerstone is getting to show off here. Back in and we hit the abdominal stretch with Hammerstone slapping the side for some added effect. A reverse AA into a GTS sends Graves to the apron, where he grabs a half nelson suplex to drop Hammerstone for a change.

Graves’ crossarm choke doesn’t last long either as Hammerstone slips out and hits an enziguri. The pace picks up with Hammerstone nailing a superkick and a big boot for two. Graves is right back with a German suplex for the same, followed by something like a triangle choke to make Hammerstone tap at 10:59.

Rating: B-. You could see the star power in Hammerstone here as he had a ton of energy and his power stuff looked good. Graves has the wrestling/submission skills to look like a killer and that made for a nice match here. This was already better than most of the matches on the first show so they’re off to a much better start.

Graves says that he proved himself against a man worthy of being his partner. He’s banged up but he won and now he wants the soon to be established PCW Title.

Video on the Almighty Sheik vs. Douglas James in tonight’s main event.

Reno Scum vs. Los Luchas

These teams fought in the GFW Tag Team Title tournament so this won’t be as fresh. Thornstowe and Zokre start things off with Phoenix grabbing Thornstowe from the apron like a rudo would. I mean they’re technicos but they did it anyway. Thornstowe’s dropkick puts Zokre down but Phoenix is right there with a double 619. Scum bails to the floor for a breather until Luster comes in. That’s fine with Phoenix who sunset flips him for two but Thornstowe pulls Zokre to the floor.

That leaves Phoenix to get beaten up in the corner with Luster dropping a headbutt for two. We go old school with a Pit Stop before the chinlock goes on to keep Phoenix down. A You Can’t See Me moonsault hits Phoenix and a bunch of people in John Cena shirts are VERY pleased. Phoenix hits a dropkick to get a breather, allowing for the hot tag to Zokre for a springboard clothesline to Thornstowe.

Scum bails to the floor but a slingshot dive is caught. That’s fine with Zokre, who flip dives onto all three for the big knockdown. Back in and Phoenix misses a moonsault, setting up a toss cutter from Thornstowe. Zokre comes in as well with a Blockbuster onto Star’s knees for two but it’s Poetry in Motion into a double stomp to the back of Star’s head. The Scum Stomp (top rope Stomp) finishes Star at 9:01.

Rating: C+. These teams have always felt low rent but they had a nice match here and that’s more than I would have bet on. They’re getting ready for the Tag Team Titles so it makes sense to have a nice match here. Scum is likely to get a title reign sooner rather than later and that makes sense for a promotion like this.

In the back, Scum brags about their win and want a shot at the Keepers of the Faith.

Kevin Martenson vs. Timothy Thatcher

Martenson is a little odd, including standing on his head and clapping his feet together during his entrance. Thatcher has the New World Symphony for his theme music, which would later be used by Walter. The fans are behind Thatcher here, as they probably should be. Martenson heads to the floor at the bell because he’s a little out there, followed by a standoff back inside as we hear about Martenson being part of a southern California faction called Vermin.

Thatcher can’t get very far with a pull of the leg but goes with something like an STF to bend Martenson in a disturbing way. With that broken up, it’s off to a modified surfboard as Martenson gets bent even more. Back up and Martenson manages a quick suplex into the corner to bang up Thatcher’s leg and take over for the first time. The leg gets tied in the ropes for a kick to the knee , allowing Martenson to chill on the barricade for a bit.

Back in and Martenson stays on the knee by slamming it into the mat but a springboard is broken up with an uppercut. Martenson is right back with a double stomp to the chest and a kick to the face for two. The required Sharpshooter goes on but Thatcher slips out and goes to a Fujiwara armbar. A rope is grabbed so Martenson slips out and grabs a rollup, with rope, for the pin at 13:05.

Rating: C. The ending felt rather out of place after a long match focused on the leg, but it does make sense after Martenson couldn’t win with the submission stuff and Thatcher was starting to come back. Martenson cut things off before Thatcher could get that far so while it does make sense, it came out of nowhere. Martenson is one of those CRAZY characters who is off before the match and then wrestles a completely logical match the rest of the way, which kind of defeats the point of the whole character. Thatcher was good as usual, though it’s weird to see him as a face.

Almighty Sheik vs. Douglas James

This is Sheik’s first match with traditional rules. Before the match, Sheik’s manager MK takes credit for Sheik being officially ranked around here, though he should be ranked #1. See, Sheik is awesome and all that jazz and James is going to lose. James is a bit small but has a ju-jitsu background. They start slowly until an early dropkick puts Sheik on the floor. Douglas gets him into a chase for a bit and you can see Sheik getting frustrated.

Back in and Sheik’s bearhug is broken up with some jabs to the face. That’s fine with Sheik, who throws it outside and whips James into the barricade to start the brawling. James gets draped across the top but since the referee is with MK, Sheik gets in a chair shot to the back to make it worse. The bloody James is sent back inside and Sheik bites the cut to showcase some blood hungriness.

James gets in a crossbody and a dropkick but gets sent hard outside again. Sheik goes to get a chair but manages to hit a fan with it first, possibly knocking the chlorophyll out of him. For some reason the commentators start impersonating Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone and Tazz as James goes back inside and dropkicks Sheik into the referee. The frog splash hits the referee so the ensuing superkick gets no count. Sheik is back up with a powerbomb and the camel clutch finishes James at 10:01.

Rating: D+. Not bad but nothing more than a way to establish Sheik as a big time heel. That has been known since the promotion debuted but they needed to make it clear against someone other than MVP. James is a rather small guy and while Sheik isn’t a giant, he’s a lot bigger than James and it wasn’t the most impressive looking win.

Ryan Taylor vs. Scorpio Sky

Taylor is just a guy in trunks. Feeling out process to start with Sky countering a headlock takeover with a headscissors. Back up and Taylor spins him around into a rollup for two and it’s another standoff. Sky takes him down with a test of strength but can’t break Taylor’s bridge. They trade armdrags and it’s another standoff so they can both stand in the corner. Taylor takes him down and uppercuts him in the corner, setting up a jackknife cover for two as they’re certainly taking their time here.

Sky gets knocked outside and it’s a suplex onto the apron to really put him in trouble for the first time. Taylor drops him throat first across the barricade and that’s nearly good enough for a countout. Sky’s right hands don’t get him anywhere and Taylor knocks him right back down. It’s time to work on the arm but Taylor lets go to talk trash, allowing Sky to punch him in the knee.

The arm is so banged up that Sky can’t even whip him into the corner, so it’s a suplex into the corner to rock Taylor instead. Some running knees in the corner set up a Side Effect for two but Taylor is right back with a doomsday Saito suplex for two of his own. Sky gets dropped on his head with a bridging belly to back suplex and Taylor walks around a bit to let him remember what planet he’s on.

As you might have guessed, Sky pops up with a running knee to the face for two and a dragon screw legwhip makes it even worse. More rapid fire kicks to Taylor’s leg in the corner put him down but the good leg is fine enough for a kick to Sky’s head. Taylor tries it again but gets reversed into something like a Figure Four for the tap at 18:25.

Rating: B-. The time helped here as they were able to let the story build up with more work on the limbs and then the submission to end it. Taylor kept running his mouth instead of following up when he had the chance and it made for a good match. Sky is so smooth in the ring and can work with anyone, which makes me rather pleased to see him get the push that he has gotten as a result.

Jeff Cobb vs. JR Kratos vs. Willie Mack

A running double dropkick puts them both down with Cobb rolling to the floor. Kratos is fine enough to hit a running kick to the face and Mack is outside as well. One heck of a big dive to the floor takes both of them out and Kratos is the only one left standing. Cobb is down but wakes up enough to catch Kratos’ dive off the apron. Everyone is down on the floor again until Mack throws Cobb over the barricade.

Mack blasts Kratos with a chair but all three head back to ringside. Kratos gets driven into the barricade and then inside again, though he’s fine enough to catch Mack on the top with a jumping knee. Cobb comes back in and swings Kratos around into a German suplex in a scary display of power. That leaves Mack and Cobb to slug it out with Mack getting the better of it, only to have Kratos grab a piledriver for two.

For your WHAT THE HECK spot of the match, Mack hits a Wasteland on both of them at once, setting up the standing moonsault for two on Cobb. Mack gets sent outside so Cobb can hit the unnamed Tour of the Islands on Kratos. The Stunner drops Cobb though and the Chocolate Thunder (fire) driver gives Mack the pin at 15:18.

Rating: B. This was the kind of hoss fight that never gets old no matter how many times you see it. Mack deserved the win for that double Wasteland alone and thankfully that’s where they went. Cobb, who is arguably the most successful of all of these three, did the least here but when the only moniker you have is Mr. Athletic, you’re only going to get so far. Either way, it was a heck of a fight and that’s exactly what they were shooting for here.

The five and a half minute highlight reel wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B+. This was roughly 174x better than the previous show as it was almost all action without the long form promos that were clearly meant to fill in time. It runs less than two hours and the only not so good match is Sheik vs. James, which even served its own purpose of getting Sheik over. I liked this a lot better than I thought I would and it’s actually a heck of a show. Check this out if you have the chance.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6